The building was originally known as the Ice Palace. In 2002, the building's naming rights were sold to the St. Petersburg Times, which became the Tampa Bay Times in 2012; accordingly, the arena was known as the St. Pete Times Forum from 2002 to 2012 and Tampa Bay Times Forum (2012-2014). In September 2014, the arena was renamed Amalie Arena when the naming rights were transferred to Amalie Oil Company.[8]

History

Former logo from the time the arena was known as the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

The venue, located in Downtown Tampa's Channelside District was a secondary location chosen after the failure of Tampa Coliseum Inc. to secure funding to construct an arena on Tampa Sports Authority land near Tampa Stadium. The city of Tampa paid $86 million and the Tampa Bay Lightning paid $53 million for the venue's construction and infrastructure.[9] It opened in 1996 as the Ice Palace. Its first event was a performance by the Royal Hanneford Circus.[10] The first hockey game was the Lightning hosting the New York Rangers, which the Lightning won 5-2.[11]

The arena is owned by the Tampa Sports Authority, a partnership of the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County.[15] The authority leases the arena back to the Lightning, who operate it. The current lease agreement ties the arena to the Lightning ownership.

The Tampa Bay Times Forum was ranked, in 2010, as the 4th busiest arena in the United States.[16]

A $35 million renovation was scheduled to be completed before the 2012 Republican National Convention.[17] The renovation includes a rebuilt grand plaza entrance, elimination of 2 lower-level suites in each corner (8 of current 28 suites) leaving views from the concourse area to the playing area, renovation of each suite, elimination of sections 323 and 324 on the terrace level (574 seats) for a bar and stage area that will feature a new digital theatre organ, more concessions areas on the terrace level, an 11,000-sq ft outdoor deck and party area overlooking outside plaza and facing the downtown skyline, new climate controls that improve both the ice surface and spectator comfort, new lighting, all new padded seats, resurfaced and redecorated concourse, combining Icons and Medallions restaurants into one venue, and updated restrooms.[17]

Also in 2012, the Tampa Bay Times Forum installed a new video display board. The board is billed as the largest of its kind in North America. Its two larger faces measure 28 × 50 feet (8.5 × 15.2 m), while its two smaller faces are 28 × 20 feet (8.5 × 6.1 m). In comparison, the arena's old display board measured 16 × 28 feet (4.9 × 8.5 m) on all sides.[18]

On September 3, 2014, Lightning owner Jeff Vinik announced the renaming of the Forum to Amalie Arena after coming to an agreement with Amalie Oil Company, an oil company based in Tampa.[19][20]

Events

The building played host to the 1999 NHL All-Star Game, and games of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in 2003, 2008 and 2011.

The Arena hosted the 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Final Four Basketball Tournament on April 6-8. Tennessee beat Stanford, 64-48. In 2009, the Arena hosted the Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament; they will again host the SEC Men's Basketball tournament in 2022.[21] They also hosted the 2015 NCAA Women's Division I Final Four, plus 2019.

The arena was slated to host an NBA preseason game in 2010 between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, the league's two Florida teams. However, months before the game, the arena's basketball floor was treated with an oil-based cleaning solution that resulted in a slippery film forming on it. According to Magic players, the floor was so slippery that they had to walk through their shootaround. When it became apparent that there was no way to make the court playable, the game was canceled half an hour before the scheduled tipoff. All fans received a full refund.[22]

Concerts

In 2009, Britney Spears performed at the Arena to a sold-out crowd during "The Circus Starring Britney Spears." The show is also notable for a wardrobe malfunction and the remark, "Okay, my pussy is hanging out of this fucking-", after she performed "I'm A Slave 4 U" and didn't realize that her microphone was still on. The incident later received notable attention and, in videos, has received thousands of views on YouTube.

On April 21, 2012, the Amalie Arena was host to Rammstein on their Made In Germany tour.[24]

Kanye West threw his infamous tirade where he demanded that the lights need to be turned off after finishing three songs in the middle of his Yeezus Tour. This caused him to storm off the stage for a few minutes but he returned to finish the rest of the concert.[25]

On September 14, 2016, Kanye West stopped multiple times during a show on his Saint Pablo Tour to scold rapper Kid Cudi for negative comments he had made on Twitter earlier in the day aimed at West and fellow rapper Drake, who he was collaborating with at the time. The incident made several news headlines across the country the day after and garnered the attention of users of social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.[28]

On July 10, 2017, Paul McCartney brought his One On One tour to Amalie Arena, being his fourth overall performance in Tampa in his career. [29]

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